SAAFE
Practice Life
SAAFE Behavioral Services (SAAFE) is a multi-location community health center focused on providing high-quality behavioral health services to under-served populations in Central Florida. After working with doctors in the Central Florida area for a number of years, Deidra Jacobs-Manning noticed a shortage of quality behavioral health options. “I knew a lot of physicians who didn’t have access to mental health resources,” said Jacob-Manning. “I felt it would be unique to open a practice to serve the under-served areas when it comes to mental health.”
From that beginning, the practice has grown to three locations and nine providers serving patients of all ages, from three to 100, along a broad spectrum of behavioral health issues. Providers travel among all locations, splitting their time according to patient need and scheduling. The Sanford location is situated close to a hospital, and providers work closely with hospital-affiliated physicians and professionals. This is their Practice Life story.